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H Oi started out small. She put an ad in the newspaper and hand-delivered flyers The Intelligencer around the neighborhood. Slowly, she built up a regular clientele by estabHousesitting is one thing, taking a lishing reliability and trustworthiness. pet alligator out for walks is another. Today, she covers an area west to It was just one of Karen Brooks' Montrose Road, east to Elmwood more memorable moments. Drive, north to County Road 5 (in SidAs a housesitter, Brooks was hired ney Township) and south to the border to watch the house and feed the pet: a of Hastings and Prince Edward counsmall alligator. ties. "I had to feed it live fish, but I made Prices -- which sure I didn't get Brooks says are "reatoo close," Brooks sonable" -- are based chuckled. "And I on distance travelled. definitely wasn't Bonded by her intaking it for a surance company, walk." Brooks also makes Exercising sure her customers pets, collecting know the requiremail, shovelling ments of their own snow from sidehome insurance. walks: it's all in a "Most policies have day's work for a clause stating the Brooks, as pwner^ frequency of security operator dJHouse checks, so that if anyand Pet. thing happened, they The Belleville have to show that the woman has made home was monitored It's really much a career out of while they were looking after other better for cats and away," she explained. people's houses Meeting requiredogs to stay in their ments since 1991. of householdVacationers own environment. I ers' insurance policies hire her to pernot only prevents misform 24 or 48come in anywhere haps such as burst hour checks on from four times a water pipes or floodtheir properties; ing, it helps thwart ensuring mail and day (for dogs) to burglaries, says newspapers are Kathryn Morrison of once every other brought inside; The Housesitters. that lights are day (for cats), Director of the com.switched on and pany's consumer afdepending on the off in different fairs department, rooms, and monilevel of care and Morrison says The toring heating sys-- a Cancompanionship they Housesitters tems and water ada-wide organization pipes. need. -- specializes in both "Basically I residential and corpomake the homes rate services. look lived in, Each of its 14 locawhile the owners tions is independently are away," exowned and operated. plained Brooks. In Belleville, customShe also enjoys ers call a local numwhat she terms ber and are connected the "bonus" part to the Toronto office, of the job: caring which then contacts for animals. its employees in "It's really Quinte to provide servmuch better for ices. cats and dogs to The Housesitters -- stay in their own fully bonded and inenvironment," sured -- will look Brooks says. "I after homes, pets, come in anywhere plants, lawn maintenance and snow refrom four times a day (for dogs) to once every other day (for cats), depending on moval, collect mail and newspapers. If the client requests it, they'll even have the level of care and companionship someone live in the home while the they need." owners are away. Brooks, who registered her homeThe company has approximately 100 based business in the summer of 1991, regular customers in the Belleville By Jennifer Bell area since establishing a presence nine years ago, says Morrison. The majority of its employees are retired people, she says, adding "this is an ideal career for a person or couple with spare time." Christmas is a "frantically busy" time for housesitting services, says Morrison. Ditto for Brooks of House and Pet. She's actually had to turn clients away over the Christmas holiday "because I didn't want to spread myself too thin." Summer is also a peak time for Brooks, who is often assisted by husband Art. "Basically, we provide home and pet care when people need it." Vacations for the couple are "squeezed in" during the least busy periods, Brooks said. "We definitely don't travel at holiday time." And who looks after their house and pet when they're away? "The neighbors, of course." I